The Silver Scars of Painted Words
by Fanatical Dreams
Summary: He was the only person she ever loved, really. She would give up everything for him - everything everything everything. But it was never enough. But you know what? That's okay. Because perhaps its time for her to let go. It's her time now. Hers and Itachi's. ItaSaku. One-sided SasuSaku.


AN: I really liked this piece, and its my first ItaSaku, even though I read a lot of them. I hope you enjoy this as much I enjoyed writing it. Please review and let me know!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

I recommend listening to 'Fix You' by Coldplay while reading this.

* * *

_I wish I could forget you the way you forgot me_

.

.

.

He was all she had, really. From when she was young it had always been _Sasuke-kun Sasuke-kun Sasuke-kun. _Because honestly she would have left Konoha, left her friends, left _everything she ever had _to go with him. But he had left her on the bench.

She continued loving him. Ino gave up, found solace with Shikamaru. Everyone else lost their faith in him, gave up all hope, par Naruto. But she always loved him, _always always always. _Even though she had grown up to be one of the most beautiful and powerful kunoichi of her time, there was always a little skeleton in her closet that screamed _Sasuke._

He was all he ever wanted, the wish on her birthday, the man of her dreams, the man of her nightmares.

And then he came back.

It had happened in a frenzy – Naruto limping through the front gates, Kotetsu running for the Hokage, Izumo fainting, Naruto _laughing_.

And funnily enough, for a while after that things were good. Sasuke began to merge back into their lives. He ate ramen with Naruto and Hinata, sparred with her on occasion, and turned up to the weekly Game Nights at Lee's.

And sometimes, they'd talk. They'd talk about this and that and him and her and random nondescript things and _kami _she fell in love all over again.

It was good. Then, three months after he returned, _she _came.

She was a scrawny little thing – brown hair, dull grey eyes. Short, just scraping ANBU-level, and not nearly as _beautiful_ or as _powerful _or as bloody _spectacular _as Sakura was.

But she loved him too. And the difference was, he loved her back.

Her name was Ami. Plain, average girl from a civilian background. She was an orphan from Wave, a failed experiment of Orochimaru's that specialised in poisons and sabotage. Sasuke had picked her up off the streets and they'd been separated two years later. But now they've found each other again.

And _he loved her like Sakura had always wanted him to love her. _

She didn't understand it. Sasuke could have _her – _beautiful, long legs, pretty face, exotic features, loyal as _shit, _and bloody intelligent too. So _why – why why why _her?

But honestly, Sakura thinks that it's true. Underneath all that tough girl, badass exterior she's still the blundering, self-hating genin.

And she can't stand it. She doubles her efforts, breaks up their dates, steals Sasuke away, turns up her kunoichi seduction during their training sessions and bloody confesses in the most broken way every single day-

_I love you I love you I love you I love you-_

Twice, now, she's made Ami cry. And she's becoming isolated from everyone else because of it. Everyone else who _doesn't understand how she loves him _is turning cold, reprimanding her for the way she treats the new girl. They don't understand why she's so cruel now, so callous, so indifferent and merciless. The boy who ruined her life is now the man who is ruining her life _once again. _

She knows that she's the typical villain now – the beautiful bitch that's trying to steal the heroine's man. But she can't help it. _She loves him more than anything in this world. _And that will be her downfall.

Tsunade has refused to train her anymore until she 'fixes her attitude'.

_But doesn't anyone understand that it's not an attitude? It's an obsession, a love, a broken soul that only _he _can fix._

.

.

.

* * *

Sasuke's parole ends today.

"This is the first mission that you will be on without your escort," Tsunade says as she hands Sasuke the mission briefing. Naruto gives him a wide grin.

"What do you think teme?" he says foxily, "Think you can handle the mission without my help?"

Sasuke snorts but his eyes twinkle with amusement. "I'll be fine. Ami's coming isn't she?"

Sakura grits her teeth but Naruto just smiles. She can see it in his eyes – he's thinking _Sasuke's changed, and it's all because of _Ami Ami Ami Ami Ami _not Sakura._

Tsunade gives him a brisk nod. "As per protocol, it will be a four-cell team. That's you, Ami, Shikamaru and Sakura. It's a very high-ranking and dangerous mission, but I trust you'll be able to do it."

Shikamaru does some sort of half nod and half yawn and Tsunade shoos them out of her office.

"Wait," she says as Sakura turns to leave. Naruto pauses at the door, shooting his ex-teammate a pained look before turning and closing the door behind him, leaving the two medic nin alone.

"Yes shishou?" Sakura says faux brightly. Tsunade just sends her a look.

"Don't antagonist her Sakura."

Sakura's smile cracks for a second before it returns full force. But she doesn't say anything. She doesn't know _what_ to say.

Tsunade waves her away and she finds the other members of her team outside. Ami is fidgeting and Sasuke shoots her a glare as she exits. Shikamaru sends her a pitying look. He does that often now.

They decide to congregate outside the gates in half an hour - the plan is to leave before the sun sets. By the time Sakura meets the team she has all the details memorised. And she has a feeling - a deep tugging in her gut and she _knows_ that something – something is going to happen.

"Let's walk and talk." Shikamaru suggests. He is the Hokage's advisor and the appointed team leader. They all set off, a slower pace than Sakura is used to, but then again they have to cater towards Ami – the three of them are almost kage level, but she is not nearly.

In fact, Sakura wonders why Tsunade put her on the mission. But considering this is the first mission of '_free _Sasuke', she probably put her there to keep him in line (after all, no matter how hard she tried, _Sakura never could)_.

"We're getting paid big money for this," Shikamaru says. "With the amount the contractor is offering we could pay all the upgrades for the Academy and Hospital and _still _have money left over to repaint the Hokage tower – twice."

"Very cool," Sakura says wryly. "How many ryu?"

Shikamaru grins. "5 million."

"Woah," Ami says with a smile. Sakura grits her teeth.

"Right, so, task at hand. Our contractor has provided us with the information that Hoshigaki Kisame has booked in a visit at the Dragon Tamer – the most elusive, expensive and 'high-class' brothel in Fire. Our team is to pose undercover, sedate him, and steal his sword – Sameheda."

"Sounds fun," Sakura says brightly.

"Right," Ami says quietly, "What are the details of the undercover aspect?" She has a rather shy personality, the complete opposite of Sakura's, but she radiates _class – _class rough-on-the-edges Sakura will never, ever be able to imitate.

"Well, one member of our team is going to have to go undercover as one of the girls in the brothel – she's going to be the one to sedate him. The rest of us will act as standby in case anything goes wrong – we'll have earpieces – radios – that connect to each other."

"Right," Sakura says, nodding to herself, "So Ami."

There's a beat of silence.

"What?" Ami and Sasuke say in unison.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "_Ami," _she reiterates. "As the undercover girl."

In a flash, Sakura is pushed against a tree, Sasuke's hand over her throat, nails digging into her jugular vein. The team freezes, and Shikamaru is by her side in an instant. But he doesn't act - no one does in front of a volatile Uchiha. Ami has her hand over her mouth in surprise.

"_No," _Sasuke hisses, and his eyes flash red.

Her heart breaks a bit there.

"_No," _Sasuke repeats.

It's funny, Sakura thinks, because Ami _is _the most suited – she specialises in undercover sabotage and poisons. She was _made _for this mission. Sakura's style is much more confrontational - cracking the earth, chakra scalpels. Plus, she wouldn't require a henge, as unlike Sakura, her face is not splashed over hundreds of Bingo books around the world. That lessens the risk of being caught _immensely – _after all, if Hoshigaki detects a slight shimmer of chakra, they're dead.

"So," she says calmly, a lot calmer than she actually feels, "Who then? Me?"

Sasuke falters, and for a second she sees the boy she fell in love with all those years ago – the boy who told her _thank you, _the boy who could have loved her _if not for Ami Ami Ami Ami- _But he's gone again before she can even blink.

"Yes," he says, and she _can't hear any regret in his voice. _

"Why not Ami?" Sakura asks hoarsely her heart pounding in her ears. Sasuke can probably feel the crazy drumming of her heartbeat underneath his fingers. Shikamaru stares at her sadly, almost pityingly.

Sasuke pushes against her throat, rougher, harder. "Don't you understand?" he says desperately, "she could be _raped _by him."

_Oh, _Sakura thinks, _And I could too. _

_(But then again, you've never cared about me)_

So Sakura makes up her mind.

"Right!" she says brightly, wrenching herself from his grip. Sasuke steps back, frown on his face. "Don't worry about it then. I'll do it."

Shikamaru opens his mouth, as if to say something. Sakura watches him and prays that he will. But he doesn't.

"I'll do it," she repeats, hoarsely, emptily. She eyes Sasuke with the hope that he might react, might notice – that he might _care _– but he doesn't.

_(Perhaps he never will)_

"Good," he says, "Plus, you're probably more experienced in this area anyway."

Shikamaru and Ami freeze. A second later, Sasuke realises too.

"_What?" _Sakura says blankly. "Did you just call me a _slut?"_

Sasuke shrugs. Bad move. "I mean, considering the way you look and all, and the way you act, you've probably had-"

Sakura shoots chakra through her feet and runs. But she doesn't cry. She won't. Not like this.

* * *

"Sakura." Shikamaru's voice crackles through the earpiece tucked behind her ear. "Sakura, are you in?"

"Yes," she says monotonously. Around her, the girls at the brothel primp her up. Her hair is dyed jet-black now, but her eyes are the same bright green. She's being smothered with makeup – dark mascara and eyeliner over her eyes, pale, luminescent cream across her body. She's wearing one of their most provocative outfits.

Her radio cackles again.

"Hoshigaki has been spotted entering with another cloaked figure. When he booked he said he would be alone, so this must be a last-minute adjustment. Prepare yourself."

She hums in assent. Probably no one serious. She waves the other girls off and they scamper away. She places herself behind the door, ready for when the Madam will announce her entrance.

"Welcome, welcome," she hears the Madam say. "Hoshigaki Kisame, of course. And who is your friend?"

There is some rustling – probably the pair pulling off the hoods to their cloaks.

"Uchiha Itachi," a smooth, baritone voice pronounces.

_Fuck._

"Fuck," Shikamaru whispers, echoing her thoughts.

Suddenly, there's a cacophony of tumbling on the other side of the radio. There's howling, screeching and snarling.

"Shikamaru," Sakura whispers frantically, "Shikamaru _what do I do?"_

Above the din, Shikamaru's voice rises in panic.

"Ami and I- we're- we're holding back Sasuke. Just- just go on with the assignment. It's alright. I think- Uchiha's _never _ordered a girl at a brothel before."

There's a loud screech, and the radio blacks off. She's lost her connection.

Sakura snarls and removes her earpiece, throwing it in disgust on the floor. She breaks it with the heel of her eight inch heels.

"-and this is Jasmine!" The Madam's voice floats through the door to Sakura. Cursing her luck, she opens the door and waltzes in, sultry smile on her face.

"Hello there gentlemen," she purrs, running her fingers up and down Hoshigaki's arm. In her peripheral vision, she locks onto the sword. She fervently tries to ignore the Uchiha but knows that she must acknowledge him too, or else blow her cover.

"Our best," the Madam says, "Which one of you wants her?"

Shikamaru's voice echoes in her head – _Uchiha's never ordered a girl at a brothel before, Uchiha's never ordered a girl at a brothel before, _never never never never never never-

"I want her," says Itachi.

Sakura's brain stops working. In autopilot, she smiles and simpers. The Madam nods, pleased, and Uchiha Itachi hands her a large stack of ryu. Then, his hand latches onto her arm in a vice grip and he pulls her towards one of the rooms.

_This is it,_ Sakura thinks.

Itachi pulls her into the room, but all she can think is-

_Sasuke. Did you know? I'm not a slut. I'm still a virgin. I've never had sex with any of my boyfriends. I've been saving myself for you. But now I'm going to lose it all to your brother. _

Itachi doesn't even wait till they get to the bed. His lips brush over hers and it's strangely, terrifyingly beautiful. And she thinks – is this what it would have been like to kiss Sasuke?

His kisses are nice, but then he reaches for the lace at the back of her garment and reality hits her.

_This is really happening. _

Then,

_Better me than Ami._

Because even though _he _is the one who put her in this situation, she still loves him and she'll do _anything _for him. Even if it means killing herself for _his _girl.

It's pitiful, but then again, Sakura has always been somewhat pitiful.

Her lips turn slack against his. She tries to act the part harder than ever, coaxing him, using all the skills she had learnt as an ANBU kunoichi. After all, if she wants to get to Kisame she needs him down. She can feel him hard against her and suddenly – she loses it.

A tear slips down from her cheek and lands on his bicep.

Both of them freeze.

_Fuck, _Sakura thinks, _her cover's been blown. _

"You're not a prostitute are you?" Itachi says blankly.

Then, he sticks a kunai between her ribs.

The first thing that hits Sakura is _pain, _then _Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke-_

She's delirious as he leaves, and she thinks to herself - what a sad, sad way to die, bleeding on the floor of a brothel with my team mates so close but so so far away. But just before he disappears, a word escapes her lips.

"Sasuke," Sakura whispers.

Itachi freezes. Slowly, he turns around and looks at the dying girl. Her eyes are far far away and a giggle escapes her throat. Blood comes gargling between her lips. Then, her eyes refocus and land on him.

"Do you think," she whispers brokenly, "Will he miss me when I'm gone?"

Itachi walks over, slightly broken, to where she is lying. Her fingers curl around the bottom of his cloak.

"It was all for him, you know," she says quietly, "I did it all for him."

And it is like Itachi is looking into a _mirror_. This girl – just like him – all he did, all she did, everything they did it was _all for Sasuke. _

He bends down and picks her up, kunai still wedged in her heart. In a flash, he leaves, pulls Kisame off of his blonde escort and whispers-

"_We have to save the girl."_

By the time Shikamaru and Ami manage to restrain Sasuke, Sakura, Itachi and Kisame have disappeared.

* * *

When Sakura wakes up, the first thing she does is grab the bedside table and hurl it at Uchiha Itachi. In a flash he is next to her, pinning her hands and legs under him.

"_Stop," _he hisses.

She thrashes against him, trying to escape, but it is futile. Tears begin to slip from her eyes.

"You don't understand," she whispers, "I have to kill you. _I have to kill you for Sasuke!"_

Itachi turns on his sharingan.

"_Stop," _he says again, then- "_Listen_."

And he tells her his story. He tells her about Uchiha Madara and the Third Hokage and Danzou and the Uchiha coup and the orders for the massacre and he tells her _his grand plan _and how it was _all for Sasuke. _

And she does too.

And they tell their stories of the boy that they both loved _beyond _and the boy who _killed them too. _Of the boy who made them lose everything but the boy that they loved.

Funnily enough, Sakura says to him _enough._

"Stop," she says, "You have to stop giving up for him. Your plan – for him to kill you and regain the Uchiha honour – it _doesn't need to happen. _Don't you see? Sasuke has already redeemed the Uchiha. He has shown that he can _love. _That he can love… _Ami. _And he has Konoha's respect for that. He has more of their respect than… huh. Than even _I _do."

But then Itachi says-

"_Stop_. If Konoha respects him more than they do you then they are all a bunch of _idiots. _It takes a lot to give up everything for the one you love, and it takes more to do so willingly. You deserve respect. It is just kami being cruel and kind, making us love the one man who will probably kill us._"_

Then Sakura thinks, ponders, wonders-

"Do you think we will ever stop? Stop loving him? Stop obsessing stop crying stop _hurting?"_

Itachi shrugs, leaning back. His sleeves roll up, revealing thin scars across his arm.

Sakura looks at them, then up at him.

He eyes her too, and finally she asks-

"Why?"

Itachi simply smiles.

"One for every time I hurt him," he explains.

Sakura pulls up her own sleeve.

"One for every time I failed him."

* * *

It's a momentous occasion. Itachi and Sakura are touching, kissing, are maybe a little perhaps just a tiny bit in love. It is so much better than the first time they kissed and much more _beautiful._

"I think it's time to stop," Sakura says as Itachi's fingers drift across her bare stomach. He freezes then pulls away.

"Sorry," he says softly.

"No," Sakura says, placing her hand over his and guiding it back to her stomach. "I think it's time we stop giving up for Sasuke and start _taking."_

She brushes her lips against his.

"Yes," Itachi groans, "Yes."

* * *

The next time anyone from Konoha sees the missing kunoichi is a year and a half later from when she disappeared.

It is a four man cell, just like the one from last time – Sasuke, Ami, Shikamaru and Naruto.

One of Sasuke's snakes has reported an Akatsuki presence at a bar in Rain. The four decide to divert from their original path and follow the snake's directions in the hope that it is Uchiha Itachi.

What they don't expect to see in the forest outside Rain is _Sakura. _In an _Akatsuki cloak. _With _Itachi. _

The four freeze, and Sasuke has matured enough to stay still and silent.

Sakura's voice drifts towards the treetops where the four are hidden - "What's the assignment?".

Her and Itachi are walking along the dirt path leisurely. The four Konoha nin have their chakra masked so seamlessly that even the Hokage can't detect them – they are perfectly hidden.

"It's a theft," Itachi says, "With a 36 million ryu reward - 6 million in deposit, and 10 million for every phase completed."

Naruto's eyes bug out. _36 million ryu?_

But Sakura just shrugs as if it is normal.

Next to Naruto, Shikamaru raises his hands into his iconic Shadow Possession Jutsu. A shadow shoots down from the trees but just before it reaches the pair, a kunai whizzes through the leaves and impales Shikamaru through the stomach. He convulses and falls of the branch, knocking his head on the forest floor unconscious.

"Nara Shikamaru," Itachi lists tonelessly, "Uzumaki Naruto, Haede Ami... Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto shoots a frantic look to Ami and Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes are frenzied and he's trembling like a man in fire or lime.

"Come on," Sakura's familiar melodic voice drifts out, "We've known you were there since you got here two minutes ago."

Hesitantly, Naruto drops down onto the path. A second later, Sasuke and Ami follow him. Sasuke is trembling with rage but Ami has a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"_Itachi," _Sasuke hisses angrily.

"Sakura…" Naruto says, lost.

An old part of Sakura is upset that Sasuke doesn't even acknowledge her, but now it has just cemented her new position.

"Itachi," she says softly, "I need to talk to him."

Itachi turns his gaze to Ami and Naruto and a second later they drop down unconscious, caught in his genjutsu.

Sasuke takes one look at Ami and bellows, charging forward Chidori in hand.

But right now, Itachi is perhaps the most powerful ninja in all the elemental countries. Sakura has healed his illness and now that he is not trying to lose, Sasuke does not stand a chance. This is the man that, in another life, would stop Kabuto and be hailed by the Tsuchikage as a hero to the shinobi world.

His sharingan spins to mangekyou and Sasuke freezes, unable to move.

"I admit," Itachi says, "That you have changed for the better in regards to… her." He cocks his head to the fallen girl. Ami now has an ANBU tattoo on her shoulder, meaning that she has finally made the rank.

"However," he continues, "You should learn to be more appreciative of the people around you otouto. There are many who love you, but you have been too blind to see it. Years ago, you chose your path of solitude, but you have never been alone."

Sasuke lets out a scream of rage, eyes flitting dangerously between sharingan and the mangekyou. But Sakura is not afraid. She can feel the protective coat of Itachi's chakra around her, protecting her against his sharingan.

Sasuke changes his tactic.

"Sakura!" he yells, "I thought you loved me. How could you do this to me? How could you run off to _my brother? You love me!"_

Sakura stares him right in the eye, unperturbed by his spinning sharingan.

"I've loved you for years Sasuke," she says quietly. "The day I left you, I loved you with all my heart. I was a virgin, you know, but I was willing to give up all my dignity and everything I had to Hoshigaki Kisame so that Ami wouldn't have to. I did it because you cared for her. You called me a slut but I was still willing to do it."

She reaches for Itachi's hand and interlaces their fingers.

"Wait!" Sasuke shouts. "What do you mean you _were _a virgin – did you– _my brother-"_

"I was willing to give up _everything _for you," Sakura says wistfully, "But not anymore."

She gives Itachi's hand a squeeze and they disappear away- away- away- leaving Sasuke in a tornado of ravens and cherry blossoms.

* * *

AN: Anyone spot the quote? It's from a poem. For some weird reason while typing this I kept on writing Shikamary instead of Shikamaru. I also looked for some quotes to match this fic but I couldn't find any. If you know one let me know! Cheers, and review!


End file.
